Before I Went Under
by Asguardian
Summary: After the Avengers fight their battle with Loki, Bruce goes to India, back to helping impoverished towns. This will develop into Bruce and Tony fiction and may have Mature themes later but is nothing but Science bros at the moment. Multiple chapters.


It wasn't long after the incident in New York City that Stark had his tower back up and running. It wasn't much longer after that when the invitation arrived for Bruce. He was in the remote towns in the south of India, but that hadn't stopped Tony from tracking him down. Bruce thought he would forget or that he wasn't serious in the first place, when the verbal invitation was initially offered. The small metal box that had plummeted from the sky landing outside the abandoned shack he was temporarily living in proved contrary to his belief. The small screen that appeared on all sides of the box once he picked it up stated an open-ended invitation to the newly renovated Stark tower. He put the box carefully beside his bed deciding to ignore it for now, although the box would be interesting to take apart and study. The invite was probably just posterity anyways.

The next day though another box dropped from the sky just in front of his path as he was walking from the house of a child he was treating for pneumonia. This new box opened impressively, producing a one-way plane ticket for next week to New York. He looked up at the sky as if he'd be able to see where it has come from. No was apparently not the answer Tony wanted, or it seemed would take. They did have a good time on their short trip they took after Thor took Loki back to Asgard but he didn't really think someone would want to hang out with him unless he could benefit them somehow… maybe that was it. That didn't make a lot of sense though; Tony was just as smart as him, if not more and definitely just as sharp. How far would he go if he refused the invitation?

Nothing came from the sky the next day, or the day after and Bruce began to think maybe he wouldn't push the subject. He made no real effort to try and get to the city the plane was going to be leaving from. The day the plane ticket had printed on it cam though, and along with it a deep red sports car unseen around any part of India really. The driver didn't say anything just sat there, turned the car off, and stared at him as if he was expecting to have to wait a while. Bruce sighed and grabbed the backpack he kept packed with his stuff, just in case, and his medicine case. He got in the front seat and looked at the driver who looked considerably happier and started the car. He had just finished setting this town up with the preventative measures he could anyways and was about to move towns. As if Tony knew.

It was a long flight on one of Stark's personal planes and when he stepped off after hours of intense inner struggle about being in a huge metal object the other guy could easily rip to shreds, he saw they had landed at a small private landing strip. There was another red sports car sitting a short distance off, this time Tony was standing leaned against it in a black suit with sunglasses on. He gave Bruce a short wave when he saw the other scientist notice him; he nodded back and started walking in his direction.

"Couldn't take no for an answer then?"

"Well, you didn't technically say no did you?"

"Didn't quite give me a chance to."

Tony laughed at that, gave him a sharp pat on the shoulder, and opened the passenger door for him before practically prancing around and jumping in the driver's seat. Bruce placed his bags in the back and climbed in the car as well, shutting the door after him. The car took off fast and Bruce wondered, not for the first time, why he was there.

It was a fairly silent car fide for a few minuets neither of the two were very good at petty talk, it probably came from being too immersed in the science field. If there were no problems to talk about what else was there? Bruce ran through topics of conversation in his mind and finally settled on something safe, he didn't exactly have Internet in India so he was probably light years behind in the scientific advances department, even though it had only been a few months.

"Has anyone heard from Thor yet about what will happen to Loki?"

Ok maybe that wasn't as safe a topic as he could have chosen, but it was one he was curious about.

"That reminds me!" Tony leaned over Bruce to the dashboard and opened it pulling out one of a row of what appear to be metallic looking bracelets. It was an effective way to get out of the question though; he mentally noted and filed the question away for later. "This is for you, a communicator, I've been working on them for a while, epically for you, so the big rage machine can keep it on as well." He smirked at the road ahead and tossed it into Bruce's fumbling hands.

"Really? And what makes you think the other guy will keep it on?"

"Just keep me updated." Unusual response. He still hadn't really figured out how Tony was so brilliant and yet so cryptic, although he was beginning to think he tried a little to hard at it.

"What also makes you think he'd be a part of this? Or that I'd let myself be a part of it? That one time was different, I cause more harm than good this is a stupid idea really, weigh the outcomes here." He was starting to get frustrated at the thought that anyone would seriously consider letting him do anything good as the other guy. He took as deep breath and pushed the emotion away.

"Well lets face it for a big green mindless smashing creature, you sure helped more than enough, and lets face it saved my life, so I think we're all willing to take the chances here." Tony was trying to be reasonable so he just nodded, really what other evil could come up anyways, it's not as if world-dominating aliens popped up every few months or so.

Tony grinned at the nod taking it as a good enough. "Great! So I assume you haven't really been keeping up with leaps and bounds of science in the last few months. Stark tower has had some cool new innovations by yours truly I think you'll love to play around with. A Gamma ray gun among the loot." He made a chuckling noise. Very funny.

As they talked about the new clean energy project Tony was trying to implement across one of the New York grids they pulled into a parking spot in front of Swarma. "You have a problem Stark."

"Tell me about it, I can't get anyone else to go with me anymore. You're my last hope."

"So you flew me in from India to go eat out with you?"

"And play with cool science toys that no one else will really appreciate. Yea."

"You're ridiculous." He shook his head and got out of the car

"Oh come on, you weren't busy." Tony laughed and got out too, silent victory.

Lunch only provided the time needed for the endless banter and talk of technological advances, problems, and ways around them to warm up their conversation, and by the time they headed out it was as if they were back to the lab that one time working for S.H.I.E.L.D. tossing the conversation back at each other.

When they got to Stark tower Pepper Potts met them in the lobby with some paperwork for Tony. He made a face. "I'm not working. I can't look at it if I don't take it." He held his hands up in a surrendering gesture. Pepper kissed him lightly and slipped the paperwork into his hands when he wasn't paying attention. "Seriously? That's not even fair." He grumbled and walked over to a computer across the room to pull up the files.

"He's so cute, he's been talking about having you over for weeks now. It's like he's never had a friend before." She laughs chatting idly.

"So he didn't need anything? He just wanted to have me over?"

"Yeah, I mean it's rare for him not to piss someone off enough to not want to come back, much less someone who understands all the terms he spouts off." Bruce watched the way she was looking at Tony, she was speaking truth right now.

He wasn't sure how to respond to that. Tony was someone who knowing pushes people away with arrogance, and he himself pushed people away out of fear, maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad. Tony obviously trusted him, and he thought maybe he did trust the other as well, I mean he had come back to the fight after turning into the other guy. Maybe trust was something he could have with this group of people. That might just be what he needed to survive in this world. The Avengers could save him just as much as they could save the world. He watched Tony swipe away at the screen before walking over to watch, maybe to add his input if he thought it was needed, nice or not. Friendship was something he hadn't had in a while and maybe it was the same for Tony.

* * *

The next chapter should be up in the next few days!

- C


End file.
